Chapter 28: Mengmeng Is a Little Spirit Belonging to the Mountains

“Mommy, this isn’t fun.” Mengmeng pouted her lower lip over her upper one, her little face full of grievance.

Just as Cheng Xiaolin was about to coax her, Mengmeng said, “I’m not staying. I want to go home.”

Then she grabbed Cheng Xiaolin’s hand and started walking out, insisting on going home.

Cheng Xiaolin tried to persuade her, but Mengmeng didn’t say another word, turned and walked out of the classroom on her own, muttering helplessly through her tears, “I want Daddy!”

At that moment, Cheng Xiaolin felt like her heart was being twisted. She quickly said to Li Qiuling, “Qiuling Jie, I’ll take Mengmeng home first.”

“Okay, try to comfort her a bit. Kids just need a little coaxing,” Li Qiuling replied.

When Mengmeng said she wanted to go home, she really meant it.

She didn’t stop walking, heading straight outside. By the time her mom caught up, she was already at the kindergarten gate. But that was as far as she could go—she didn’t know the way home from there.

Mengmeng stood at the gate, looking around, but couldn’t remember the way. With a loud wail, she burst into tears.

Cheng Xiaolin quickly picked her up. “Be good, Mengmeng, don’t cry. Mommy will take you home to play with Daha, Erha, Xiao Huahua, and Xiao Huihui.”

Hearing the names of her playmates, Mengmeng really did stop crying. Tears still clung to her cheeks as she pointed in a random direction and sobbed softly, “Mm, home!”

“Okay, let’s go.” Cheng Xiaolin decided to deal with work later. For now, taking care of her daughter came first.

…

Back at the kindergarten, Ding Dezhong was still feeling happy about recruiting another teacher. As he wandered the school grounds thinking about how to find the other two teachers, he saw Li Qiuling coming out of the classroom.

“Ms. Li, done with work?” he asked.

Li Qiuling sighed and told him that Mengmeng had left, adding, “Director, it looks like Linlin won’t be coming back to work.”

“What…” Ding Dezhong stomped in frustration. “Why did this have to happen on her first day? Such a bad first impression—how can we convince her to stay?”

“These little brats don’t know how hard I worked to find them a teacher,” he said. “Ms. Li, did Ms. Cheng say she’s quitting?”

“She didn’t say it directly. I just guessed,” Li Qiuling replied. “From what I know, even back in Beijing, Linlin took care of Mengmeng by herself. If Mengmeng can’t stay in the class, then Linlin won’t be able to work either.”

…

After finishing his errands in town, Cao Shujie drove home.

He had met his middle school classmate Shao Guobang to get detailed info about the “Support for Agriculture” interest-free loan. Shao Guobang explained it thoroughly this time.

This loan is part of a major national financial support policy for rural economic development. Rural Commercial Banks and large banks across the country offer similar programs. Shao told him to go straight to the bank for details.

Cao Shujie then went to the town’s Rural Commercial Bank. Though it took some time, he finally got a clear understanding of the loan.

It turned out to be real, and the banks actually have quotas to meet for rural development lending.

As long as applicants meet the policy requirements, they can apply. The funds must be used for specific purposes, and bank personnel conduct regular checks on fund usage.

The bank’s credit manager, Ma Changrong, gave him a detailed application checklist. He told Cao Shujie to prepare the required materials based on that list and submit the application for approval once everything was ready.

Cao Shujie returned home with the list. But just as he walked through the door, he saw his daughter running around the yard with Daha and Erha.

A stray cat paced back and forth on the rooftop, looking more like a guard dog than the dogs themselves.

“Mengmeng!”

He called out, puzzled. Wasn’t she supposed to be at kindergarten with her mom? Why was she home so soon?

Mengmeng heard her father’s voice. She stopped, let go of the leashes, and ran straight toward him.

As she reached him, she threw her arms wide and jumped into his arms.

Cao Shujie knelt down and caught her in a big hug.

“Daddy, kindergarten is not fun!” Mengmeng pouted and complained.

Cheng Xiaolin came out when she heard the noise and saw her husband. “You’re done with your errands?” she asked.

“Mm, I’ve figured out the first steps,” Cao Shujie replied, then asked, “Weren’t you at work? Why are you home so early?”

“Don’t even mention it. I might as well not work,” Cheng Xiaolin said.

She then told her husband everything that had happened at the kindergarten. After hearing the story, Cao Shujie smiled and said, “So that’s what happened. I thought something serious had gone wrong. If you’re not going to work, so be it. Let’s go work on the orchard together and let Mengmeng play up on the mountain.”

The more he spoke, the happier he got. “I’ve always felt Mengmeng is a little spirit of the mountains—how could she be cooped up in a kindergarten?”

“Pfft.” Cheng Xiaolin rolled her eyes at him.

Then, with a strange tone, she added, “It’s so weird. The interview today went unusually smoothly, but the resignation came just as fast. Hired and quit all within a day.”

Cao Shujie burst into laughter.

Wang Yuelan was busy cooking. When she heard her daughter-in-law say that, she offered, “Linlin, how about I look after Mengmeng so you can go to work?”

“Mom, Mengmeng is a handful when she gets stubborn. I’ll skip working this year and help Shujie with the orchard on the mountain,” Cheng Xiaolin replied, her mind made up.

Her husband had contracted so much mountain land—how could she, as the lady of the house, not help?

That evening, Cao Shujie explained the interest-free loan application details to his wife.

After reading the checklist, Cheng Xiaolin divided the tasks with her husband and started preparing together.

In the middle of the night, Mengmeng murmured in her sleep, “Not going to kindergarten… not fun…”

This broke both their hearts and made Cheng Xiaolin even more determined to put off working at the kindergarten for now.

The next day, she went to the kindergarten alone and explained the situation to Ding Dezhong and Li Qiuling.

Ding Dezhong was helpless but understood. He said, “Ms. Cheng, when Mengmeng is older and ready to attend kindergarten formally, we’ll always welcome you back.”

“Thank you!” Cheng Xiaolin replied sincerely.

By mid-April, the weather had grown warmer.

It was around this time that the kiwi and apple trees planted across Qingshi Town officially started to bloom. The whole town seemed to be filled with a faint floral fragrance.

But the fruit trees planted by Cao Shujie had already finished blooming and were beginning to bear fruit. Though it seemed like a small difference, they were at least half a month ahead of everyone else.

Seeing this, Cao Shujie was thrilled. He went to the county to buy more raw materials and mixed up a new batch of nutrient solution, which he sprayed over all the trees in his orchard.

This time, Cheng Xiaolin also carried a plastic sprayer on her back and took turns with her husband to nourish the trees.

Mengmeng didn’t care what her mom was doing. As long as she had something to play with, she was happy—squatting alone on the ground, chattering away with Daha and Erha. Neither of her parents had any idea what she was saying.

(End of Chapter)